In computing, memory is a device or system that is used to store information for immediate use in a computer or related computer hardware and digital electronic devices. The term memory is often synonymous with the term primary storage or main memory. An archaic synonym for memory is store. Computer memory operates at a high speed compared to storage that is slower but offers higher capacities. If needed, contents of the computer memory can be transferred to storage; a common way of doing this is through a memory management technique called virtual memory.